When making decisions about funding and jobs the scientific community should recognise that most of the tools used to evaluate scientific excellence are biased in favour of established disciplines and against interdisciplinary research.

Science hackathons can help academics, particularly those in the early stage of their careers, to build collaborations and write research proposals.

Improving our understanding of autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurodevelopmental conditions requires collaborations between genetics, psychiatry, the social sciences and other fields of research.

In recognition that evolutionary theory is critical for understanding modern human health, eLife is publishing a special issue on evolutionary medicine to showcase recent research in this growing and increasingly interdisciplinary field.

A network-based ‘speed dating’ approach can promote interactions between delegates at scientific meetings.

There should be a prominent place for theory within biology papers, both as Results in papers that combine experiment and theory, and as Results in theory papers.

A lexicon to help scientists and philosophers discuss the meaning of function in molecular biology more clearly is proposed.

The RIPOSTE framework has been developed to support early and regular discussions between scientists and statisticians in order to improve the design, conduct and analysis of laboratory studies.

The Janelia Research Campus opened its doors 12 years ago: we describe the philosophy underpinning Janelia, the lessons learned, and plans for the future.

The creation of synthetic cells and organelles will open doors to new collaborative and funding opportunities.